David Bercuson's study reveals Canadaas having established a middle east policy during the 1930s, not on moral or ideological grounds, but on the basis of the politicians' view of its own national interests."

Using a case study approach, Kay explores Canada's response to key issues such as the recognition of the new state of Israel, the status of Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugee problem, arms sales to Israel, particularly the sale of F-86s in 1956, and the Suez war. He also provides a thorough account of domestic politics in Canada that influenced foreign policy and the effectiveness of pro-Israeli lobby groups in influencing policy decisions. Kay concludes that although Canada was a major middle power in terms of its policy towards Israel, the government tended to defer to the policy positions of greater powers, such as the United States and Britain, but maintained an independent mediatory role that was instrumental in quelling a prospective global conflagration, as witnessed during the Sinai-Suez crisis and its aftermath. The Diplomacy of Prudence brings new insights to the study of Canadian foreign policy during Canada's coming of age as an international force.

The Diplomacy of Impartiality is an analysis of a major decade in Canadian–Israeli relations, dealing with significant events that led to the Six-Day War of 1967 and its aftermath. Using primary documentation from the National Archives of Canada and the Israeli State Archives, Zachariah Kay shows that although Canada was committed to Israel’s existence, its foreign policy was governed by the scrupulous impartiality that had become a principle guideline when dealing with Israel and the Middle East. The first section of the book deals with the Progressive Conservative government headed by John Diefenbaker in the first part of the decade and his Israeli counterpart, David Ben Gurion. The second section considers the latter part of the decade, with reference to Lester Pearson’s Liberal government and the Israeli prime minister Levi Eshkol. The book shows that in spite of political differences between the leaders and their parties, the Canadian bureaucracy maintained a policy of impartiality, following the lines of non-commitment and prudence practiced prior to the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in Palestine with the State of Israel. Issues such as the Arab–Israeli conflict, nuclear power, governments and parliaments, and the pre- and post-Six-Day War are dealt with in detail. The assessed evidence proves that impartiality as a quasi-bureaucratic ordinance kept Canada on the path it maintained in subsequent decades into the twenty-first century. The Diplomacy of Impartiality provides an essential understanding of events surrounding today’s Canadian relationship with Israel and the Arab–Israeli conflict.

Using the historical and comparative approaches of study, this book traces the roots of the Arab-Israel conflict in general and the Palestine-Israel conflict in particular, as well as Canada’s role in the thorny issue of the conflict and peace processes through multilateral fora and institutions. It shows that the Canadian perception and policy, while uniquely Canadian, have operated within the broader Anglo-American framework of support for a Jewish ‘homeland’ and the two state theory. The book argues that three significant factors have impacted Canada’s outlook and actions. Firstly, Canada’s perception and policy towards the Arab-Israel conflict have been shaped by religio-cultural and historical factors, rather than by its acclaimed Liberal Internationalism. Second, growing economic and commercial interests after the 1973 Arab-Israel War and its perceived national interest made it adopt a more nuanced and balanced approach towards the conflict. Finally, it argues that the elite perception, the initiatives by Lester Pearson, and the presence of an active Jewish community have had a significant influence on Canadian perception towards the Arab-Israel conflict.

Canadian Zionists of the 1930s were anxious to involve their government in the Palestine question. The pressure they brought to bear was fuelled by a new urgency when British policy in Palestine denied entry to Jewish refugees from the Nazi terror. Today there is a widely held impression that the Canadian government responded quickly and sympathetically to that pressure. Jews and Arabs alike, each for their own purposes, have created the image of a Canada friendly to Zionism, and of Canadian policy directed by such pro-Zionists as Lester Pearson. But as David Bercuson demonstrates, the truth is far more complex. In fact, Zionist efforts to involve Canada in the Palestine question met with considerable resistance from Ottawa, even when Canada was elected to membership on the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine in 1947. The partition of Palestine was eventually supported by Canada, but begrudgingly. Ottawa viewed partition as the ‘least lousy’ solution to a problem that was acutely sensitive both diplomatically and politically. Hardly the champions of Zionism that it has generally been considered, Canada is revealed in Bercuson’s study as having established a middle east policy, not on moral or ideological grounds, but on the basis of the politicians’ view of its own national interests.

This text seeks to examine the relationship over time between Canada and Israel, and by doing so, to highlight the relationship of Canada's Jewish community with Israel, and Canada's Jewish community with the Canadian government. The author explores in detail the activities of the Jewish Foreign Policy Lobby in Canada and its impact on the formulation of Canadian Middle East policy. Includes a detailed examination of Canadian policymakers' positions in key situations, such as Prime Minister Trudeau's speeches, Foreign Minister MacGuigan's speeches, and the like, which provide a concrete and specific focus that has not been offered in earlier studies. Contents: Canadian Foreign Policy and the Canada-Israel Committee; Canadian Middle East Policy; Was Trudeau's Middle East Policy Even-Handed?; Public Opinion and Canadian Middle East Policy; The Jewish Lobby and Canadian Middle East Policy; and What About the Intifada?